§48-5-402. Petition for divorce.

(a) An action for divorce is instituted by a verified petition
and the formal style and the caption for all pleadings is "In Re
the marriage of ________ and ________". The parties shall be
identified in all pleadings as "petitioner" and "respondent".

(b) The petition must set forth the ground or grounds for
divorce. It is not necessary to allege the facts constituting a
ground relied on and a petition or counter-petition is sufficient
if a ground for divorce is alleged in the language of the statute
as set forth in this article. The court has the discretionary
authority to grant a motion to require a more definite and certain
statement, set forth in ordinary and concise language, alleging
facts and not conclusions of law.

(c) If the jurisdiction of the court to grant a divorce
depends upon the existence of certain facts, including, but not
limited to, facts showing domicil or domicil for a certain length
of time, the petition must allege those facts. It is not necessary
that allegations showing requisite domicil be in the language of
the statute, but they should conform substantially thereto so that
everything material to the fact of requisite domicil can be
ascertained therefrom.

(d) A petition shall not be taken for confessed and whether
the respondent answers or not, the case shall be tried and heard
independently of the admissions of either party in the pleadings or otherwise. No judgment order shall be granted on the
uncorroborated testimony of the parties or either of them, except
for a proceeding in which the grounds for divorce are
irreconcilable differences.

(e) The supreme court of appeals shall develop and provide
forms for petitions filed pursuant to this section and for answers
filed pursuant to section 5-403. The forms shall be made available
for distribution in the offices of the clerks of the circuit courts
and in the offices of the secretary-clerks to the family court
judges.